Notes

Other 2014 shows

FEELS LIKE I'M IN LOVE - Kelly Marie (1981)
BORN TO BE ALIVE - Jean-Claude Borelly (1979)
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT - 20 Top Pop Song Hits Explosive Performances (1964)
STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT - Bette Midler (1976)
TRAMP - Salt-N-Pepa (1986)
FEEL GOOD PARTY TIME - J.R. Funk And The Love Machine (1980)
TIRITOMBA OB-LA-DI OB-LA-DA GOT TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAINS - Jack Lester Special Band
SHE LOVES YOU - 20 Top Pop Song Hits Explosive Performances (1964)
HUXTABLE HOUSE PARTY - Newcleus (1987)
GREEDY (FOR YOUR LOVE) - Donny Gerrard (1976)
ONE BIG (HAPPY) FAMILY - Tonio K (1980)
I WILL SURVIVE - Creme D'Cocoa (1981)
I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND - 20 Top Pop Song Hits Explosive Performances (1964)
CAR WARS - Tom Scott (1979)
MISTER B - Mister B (Pieter De Lang) (1984)
SUNNY - Chris Anderson (1978)
GETAWAY - Salsoul Orchestra (1978)
CAN'T BUY ME LOVE - 20 Top Pop Song Hits Explosive Performances (1964)

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Liner notes, thanks to CFTP listener Tony D:

1. Scottish singer KELLY MARIE was born Jacqueline McKinnon. Her big hit, "Feels Like I'm In Love" was written by Mungo Jerry's Ray Dorset ("In The Summertime") in 1977. Ray had actually intended for Elvis Presley to sing the song, but it's not clear whether Elvis ever heard it. Mungo Jerry actually released their own version of the song as a b-side to the Belgian single, "Sur Le Pont D'Avignon". The song came out in 1979, but failed to become a hit in the UK. Soon, it was a hit on the dancefloor in the Scottish clubs, and in 1980, her label Pye re-released the song, and it became a huge #1 hit in Britain. The song soon was a hit across Europe, and even became a Top 10 hit on the dance charts here in the U.S. She would go on to release subsequent singles, but none made much impact on the charts. In 2005, she competed on the ITV show, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time", in the UK. She performed her hit, plus a version of Britney Spears' "Oops! I Did It Again". The show featured former stars trying to regain their musical glory, while competing for a new major label single release. Guess who she lost out to? That's right..."The One And Only" Chesney Hawkes!

2. JEAN-CLAUDE BORELLY is a French trumpeter. His recording of "Dolannes Melody" was a huge French hit, and then throughout Europe in 1975. His 1979 album, "Au Dela Des Nuages", featured his covers of "Born To Be Alive", as well as covers of The Village People's "Y.M.C.A." and Patrick Juvet's "I Love America".

3. BETTE MIDLER has performed many covers of old songs throughout her career. Even "Wind Beneath My Wings", the song she sang at this year's Oscar Awards, was not hers. Jeff Silbar & Larry Henley recorded a demo version of it in 1982. Bob Montgomery, who wrote Dorothy Moore's hit, "Misty Blue", also recorded a demo of it, but with a slower tempo. The first artist to record it commercially was Roger Whittaker in the same year. Other artists such as Lou Rawls and Gary Morris recorded it before Bette even got her hands on it. "Strangers In The Night", co-written by Bert Kaempfert, was featured on her 1976 LP, "Songs For The New Depression". The single did not chart anywhere, except on the dance charts, where it hit #7. And guess what? It was arranged by a man named LUTHER VANDROSS. He also sang backup on the song. Bette's album also featured the talents of Todd Rundgren, and featured her cover of Tom Waits' "Shiver Me Timbers" and a duet with Bob Dylan on "Buckets Of Rain". The song "Marihuana" comes from a 1934 film, "Murder At The Vanities". "Strangers In The Night" was originally released in the U.S. with the b-side, a cover of the old Patti Page standard, "Old Cape Cod", which Bette actually recorded 4 years earlier. In France, the b-side was Bette's French language track, "Samedi et Vendredi". Another song from the album, "Mr. Rockefeller", was sampled by Kanye West on the track, "Last Call", from his "College Dropout" album. Bette's Harlettes also contributed to the album, including one Sharon Redd, who also had a minor disco hit of her own with "Love Insurance". She also performed with Soiree, who featured none other than Luther Vandross on their disco cover of Stevie Wonder's "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life".

4. Which leads me to the next singer on the list. On Bette's next album, "Broken Blossom", the first track is her cover of "Make Yourself Comfortable". Singing backgrounds on that tune was none other than a man named DONNY GERRARD. Vancouver-born DONNY GERRARD was actually the lead vocalist on another hit you might remember. He sang lead on Skylark's 1972 hit, "Wildflower", later covered by the likes of Johnny Mathis, The New Birth, Kenny Rogers, The O'Jays, and many others, including Color Me Badd and Jodeci in the 90's. Skylark formed from the ashes of one of Ronnie Hawkins' backup groups in Canada. B.J. Cook and Flip Arellano were the other vocalists in the group, but Skylark was actually known for an even more famous member, their keyboardist and later uber-producer David Foster. Donny's first solo single was 1975's "Baby, Don't Let It Mess Your Mind" on Elton John's Rocket label. Donny then got signed to the Greedy label, which issued the Robbie Buchanan-arranged song, "Greedy For Your Love" on his self-titled solo debut LP. "Greedy..." is also the b-side to his 45' for "He's Always Somewhere Around", which I have. He would later go on to sing background for many other artists such as Bob Seger, Eddie Money, John Fogerty, Neil Diamond, Ray Charles and more. He would also join his fellow Canadians on the Northern Lights charity single, "Tears Are Not Enough". Others prominent Canadians featured on that song include Lisa Dalbello, Alfie Zappacosta, actor John Candy, Tom Cochrane, Kim Mitchell, Aldo Nova, Paul Shaffer, Jane Siberry and Ian Thomas. In the 90's, you could find Donny doing TV and radio jingles.

5. JACK LESTER was a trumpeter, and had his own SPECIAL BAND. His cover of "Ob-La-Di" appears on his album, "Stereo Perfect 2", the follow-up to the first "Stereo Perfect". He also covers The Supremes' "The Happening", and standards like "Hello Dolly", "The Yellow Rose Of Texas", and "House Of The Rising Sun", coincidentally all No. 1 hits for the likes of Louis Armstrong, Mitch Miller, and The Animals.

6. NEWCLEUS was originally known as JAM-ON PRODUCTIONS in 1977. The group was made up of Ben "Cozmo D" Cenac and his cousins Pierre and Monique Angevin. They played block parties in Brooklyn, and soon the group included Yvette "Lady E" Cook, who married Cozmo, and Bob "Chilly B" Crafton, who married Monique. The coming together of both couples inspired the name, NEWCLEUS. Their biggest hit was "Jam On It" in 1984. The Cenacs and Craftons continued to record throughout the 80's, including 1987's "Huxtable House Party" single.

7. TONIO K. was actually born Steven M. Krikorian. In the 60's, he was a member of the psychedelic band, The Raik's Progress, who released one single on Liberty Records, 1966's "Sewer Rat Love Chant". A full album of their tunes was later released by Sundazed Records in 2003. For a time in the 70's, Steven recorded two albums with Buddy Holly's backing band, The Crickets, produced by the aforementioned Bob Montgomery, an early friend of Buddy's. In 1978, he released the solo LP, "Life In The Foodchain", and took on the stage name, Tonio K., based partly on a novella ("Tonio Kröger") by Thomas Mann. The album featured guests such as Dick Dale and Albert Lee, and was the first pop/rock album to feature the sounds of an AK-47 firing live rounds. His 1980 follow-up, "Amerika (Cars, Guitars & Teenage Violence)" can best be described as academic punk rock. In 1987, he also recorded "I'm Supposed To Have Sex With You" for the soundtrack to the Mark Harmon-Carl Reiner film, "Summer School". Although he continued recording into the 90's, he soon turned to writing and collaborating with other artists. He co-wrote "Love Is", a big hit for Vanessa Williams & Bryan McKnight in 1993 (He's been quoted as saying that his first choice to sing the song was none other than Tom Waits) and also, "You" for Bonnie Raitt, which she recently performed on "The Tonight Show" during Jay Leno's final week. He has also collaborated with Burt Bacharach on several compositions, and even co-wrote "Count On Me" and "Love's (Still) The Answer", two songs off of Ron Isley's 2003 album, "Here I Am: Isley Meets Bacharach".

8. TOM SCOTT is a saxophonist, member of the jazz group L.A. Express, and son of the late film & TV composer/arranger Nathan Scott. Nathan Scott composed and arranged many sequences for the likes of "Dragnet" and "Lassie" in the 50's and 60's. Tom is no stranger to composing TV themes, as well. One of his most famous themes was "Gotcha!", the theme to the hit TV series, "Starsky & Hutch". He also composed the theme to "Streets Of San Francisco", starring Karl Malden and a young Michael Douglas. "Without Us", the theme to the 80's hit sitcom, "Family Ties", features his sax playing. Plus, you can also hear his prominent sax work on Wings' #1 single, "Listen To What The Man Said"! He later became the leader of the house bands for two failed talk shows, "The Pat Sajak Show" and "The Chevy Chase Show". In 1996, he was the musical director for the 68th Annual Academy Awards.